 A segment of Kid A, Amnesiac is a work with highs and lows that tries to break away from the past to move forward. RADIOHEAD - AMNESIAC (2001) As a direct continuation of Kid A (2000), with influences from electronic music, experimental rock, and jazz, Amnesiac, Radiohead's 5th studio album, explores themes such as memory and reincarnation, referencing Greek and Egyptian mythology and Gnostic beliefs. Released in 2001, and produced by Nigel Godrich, this work from the British band focuses on more instrumental and fleeting moments, trying to break away from the idea of the previous album, even though both were conceived at the same time. With the electronic loops of "Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box," the opening track tries to find its space in the tightness of endless waiting, where life passes before your eyes in the blink of an eye. The music's processing gives Yorke's voice a more nasal sound and loses value with the mundane instruments in the repeated verses; "Pyramid Song," the album's first single, has more depth in its spiritual journey, revealing the past and future in the same timeline; "there was nothing to fear and nothing to doubt," the traveler repeats in his procrastination. "Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors" overuses processing to create a ghostly sensation, making it a less attractive experiment; "You and Whose Army?" has a curious melody, though it drags in its verses until the drums dictate the rhythm for the band to exert its positive and fleeting influence on the journey; "I Might Be Wrong" grows with its present and continuous guitar riff, with pride in the verses where the protagonist looks ahead in his crusade, without being tied to the past anymore. The rhythm of "Knives Out" gains the influence of The Smiths' guitar in a construction marked by smooth solos and melodic nuances; "look into my eyes, I’m not coming back…," Yorke says in the album's best surprise, which includes an alternative version of "Morning Bell" from Kid A, with the entry of "Morning Bell/Amnesiac," trying to captivate the listener with its liberating strength to justify its presence on the setlist; and it does. In a manipulative and corrupted environment by man, "Dollars and Cents" is an indigestible and realistic aspect of the real world; "we are going to crush your little souls…," Yorke cites, alluding to the control of the system, while "Hunting Bears" is a short instrumental track led by a synthesized electric guitar that brings reflection and works as a scene transition to "Like Spinning Plates," built with elements of "I Will" (a track that came to life on the album Hail to the Thief, 2003), with highs and lows in its presentation that exaggerates in its backward condition. Finally, "Life in a Glasshouse" enters an environment dominated by jazz and blues, with a saxophone soon accompanied by antiquated instrumentation, despite the lyrics standing out for their idea of surveillance and stoning; "you must give the other cheek…," Yorke recites to the listener, troubled by the lack of solidity experienced in his unusual reality. ★★★ (out of 5 stars) Radiohead Collection (9 Studio Albums): Pablo Honey (1993), The Bends (1995), OK Computer (1997), Kid A (2000), Amnesiac (2001), Hail to the Thief (2003), In Rainbows (2007), The King of Limbs (2011), and A Moon Shaped Pool (2016). |
